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It was a brisk Hawkins day when the call came through for Mrs. Driscoll’s house. Hardly the usual weather for a blazing inferno, Steve had thought to himself as he reluctantly pulled himself from the warmth of the locker room shower.
He could hear everyone responding to Nancy’s calm, yet surprisingly authoritative tones on the radio; the Chief, Billy, Eddie and even Dmitri one after the other – he could hear the rustle in the background of their haste to get changed. He didn’t hear Robin, which he had quickly come to realize was a common occurrence. Smiling to himself, he made a mental note to grill her on that later.
Descending the stairs, Steve was just about run down by a frantic mess of dark hair, a subtle smell of sweat and the jingle of chains. Eddie looked up through the tangle of hair, dark brown eyes almost daring Steve to say something he shouldn’t as they met his.
“After you, big boy,” Eddie gestured, falling into a dramatic bow and beckoning Steve past.
Steve could feel the scarlet scratching at his cheeks as he hurried past and scrambled his way into the engine. He quickly busied himself with some equipment, hoping nobody would notice he was the colour of just about everything else in the fire station.
That goddamn Fire Engine red, he cursed internally.
He felt Eddie’s weight settle next to him as the engine came to life, and with it the mix of radio chatter and wail of a siren. Enough noise, Steve hoped, to drown out the unprofessional thoughts he was having, feeling Eddie’s thigh so close to his.
The engine grunted to a halt outside Mrs. Driscoll’s small two-bedroom house in East Hawkins.
…a house that was very much not on fire.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” the Chief grunted, continuing with something very unsavory under his breath.
Billy had warned Steve about Mrs. Driscoll in one of the few conversations they’d had. A sweet, but very senile old widow who loved the company of firemen. And the look of them, Billy had stressed.
Following the Chief’s lead, Steve climbed from the engine, a cackling Eddie close on his heels.
“Tense those cheeks,” Eddie teased, sauntering past Steve towards the old lady, “She’s a sucker for the newbies!”
Shocked, Steve warily made his way over. He had always had a soft spot for the elderly - his Grandma was one of his favorite people, even when she wasn’t able to recognize him anymore. He’d still taken comfort in visiting her up until her death, speaking to her for hours. Mostly about her son, his dad she didn’t remember. After all, she couldn’t be hurt by the actions of someone who was a ghost to her.
There wasn’t a chance for him to dwell on this memory too much, as he was violently brought back to reality by a wet, bright red lipstick filled kiss to his cheek.
“Oh my! This wouldn’t be the Harrington boy, all grown up and filled out, would it?” She gushed.
Snickers rung around his colleagues, much to Steve’s annoyance.
“Sure would, Mrs. Driscoll,” chimed Robin, smiling ear to ear, clearly enjoying the discomfort this brought Steve. Something he knew she would take great joy in bringing up later, along with the earlier squirming she had absolutely noticed in the engine earlier.
Taking the opportunity to take the focus off him, Steve drew on the rundown Billy had given him a few days ago.
“What can we help with today, Mrs. Driscoll, is it Fergus again?” Steve asked softly.
Fergus had been her beloved cat, five odd years ago. Unfortunately, Mrs. Driscoll often forgot he wasn’t around anymore, resulting in calls to the local fire station.
Eddie stepped forward, noticing the old lady was becoming more distressed. He gently took her arm in his and began steering her inside.
“M’lady,” he encouraged, helping her up the steps.
Everyone else had lost interest at this point - the Chief and Billy were deep in conversation at the front of the engine, Dmitri no doubt still in the driver’s seat and Robin distracted by the neighbour’s dog.
Both out of curiosity about Eddie and empathy for Mrs Driscoll Steve found himself following the pair inside. He watched as Eddie began preparing her tea and speaking to her about Fergus. Carefully but honestly, he broached the subject of Fergus’s passing with the kind of tact Steve had learnt from a nurse at his grandma’s care home years ago.
Eddie was so effortlessly in tune with her feelings, soothing her while calling her family to come and take over. It made Steve hazy eyed. Shaking himself out of it before embarrassing himself a third time, he hastily said his goodbyes to Mrs. Driscoll as he fumbled his way out the front door, assuring her he’d see her again soon.
Robin must have figured it was all wrapped up as she wandered over to Steve, eyes analyzing his mood. She knew the relationship Steve had with his grandma, but she also knew when to debrief situations with him. Seeing Eddie cheerily emerging behind Steve at the front door, she must have thought better than to bring it up then.
“See Chief, a little tender love and care and she’s right back to watching The Golden Girls,” Eddie beamed as he patted the Chief on the back.
Bold move, Steve thought to himself, watching the Chief grimace at the unwelcome touch.
As they all piled back into the engine, the Chief was muttering something back to Eddie along the lines of “this will be the last time we come here, Munson” with a kind smile hidden somewhere under his thick moustache. Something Steve was sure he wouldn’t let Eddie have the pleasure of seeing.
The trip back to the station was short, Steve’s thoughts accompanied by the smooth tones of Bruce Springsteen serenading them from the radio. It wasn’t until the song abruptly ended, signaling their arrival back at base, that Steve realized he had been staring - staring at Eddie, studying him, drinking in all the small details he had missed before.
Steve physically shook his head, as if to snap himself out of his daze. He looked around the cab, trying to ensure nobody had noticed only to find he wasn’t the only one admiring the man. Billy unknowingly mimicked Steve’s headshake, tearing his gaze from Eddie’s glow and clenching his fists as he threw open the engine door.